Followers

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

New Color Kit Options

Look at the new color kits available in Stampin’ Up’s new 2010-2011 catalog. Lots of wonderful deals and practical solutions to adding the new colors to your collection.

If you haven’t already you can see the new flyer describing these kits here on the side of my blog and several are also noted in the catalog on page 194.

First off starting with the basics of paper and ink you have a couple of choices with two kits. The most basic one includes the five newest core colors (core colors are continuing colors found in each of the 4 new collections and distinct from the ever changing In Colors) and the retitled Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft) that now has matching ink to go with the paper (Yay Crumb Cake – one of my all time favorite colors). And the second paper/ink combo kit includes not only these 6 core colors but also several of the returning and previous In Colors that you may or may not have in your stamping arsenal.

This means you have a few choices to make. Check out the price comparisons and then you will be able to tell whether it’s a better deal to buy kits and maybe get some extra ink with the larger kit or if it’s a better deal to get the smaller kit with all new colors and pick up the returning colors as individual papers and ink.

The cost savings of this first kit break down like this.

6 stamp pads @ $5.95 each = $35.70 That’s the standard cost for inkpads in the new catalog which is more than the cost of the entire kit. So in essence you are not only getting the paper for free you are also saving almost $.13 each on the ink pads as well. The paper alone is worth $6.95 (the price of most paper packs with 24 sheets) thus making the savings wrapped into this kit 22%.

This second kit provides not only the 5 new core colors from the earlier kit but also the ink pads and papers from the returning In Colors. Now if you already have the returning In colors the first kit is fine if you don’t you have to figure out how many of those colors you are missing. If you were to buy each of these ink pads separately you would pay $95.20 plus the cost of paper which isn’t available in this type of package. So once again if this kit works for you then you are getting the paper for free and saving $.25 in total on the pads. The paper alone is valued at $9.27. Add the paper and the savings on the pad and you have a 10% savings.

For the first time Stampin’ Up is offering an In Color Bundle kit to everyone! In the past you had to be a demonstrator to have access to a deal like this. Now it’s available to everyone. Once again it breaks down like this:

5 ink pads @ $5.95 each = $29.75. So the paper is costing you only $.20. A pack that normally costs $6.95. That’s a 22% savings wrapped into this kit! A steal of a deal and these colors will be available for two years now so you know you’re going to want them all! I might also point out that these wonderful new In Colors also have their very own set of matching markers too. You can find that set of markers on page 194 of the catalog (#119801, $14.95).

Both practical and cost effective this kit provides not only cash savings but it allows you to fill in your previous set of markers with the 5 new colors and 7 of the returning in colors that were never before available in markers. It also provides a new index card for your full size kit. Of course if you don’t have any of the markers yet your best deal is to buy the new full Many Marvelous Markers Kit on page 194 that provides each of the colors in the Collections (except Whisper White and Very Vanilla) in one handy carry pack. You also have the option to purchase each collection’s markers separately for a total of 4 sets that allow you to spread the cost over time. Three markers from the returning In Colors were not included in this kit because Stampin’ Up felt many would already have purchased the 2009-2010 set of In Color markers. Those colors are Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo & Soft Suede. If you don’t already have these they can be purchased individually and added to your kit.

Note: This kit also does not include the new set of In Color markers (mentioned above). Check the listing of colors to see exactly which marker colors are included.

Here’s the price breakdown and savings of the kit.

13 markers @3.50 each = 45.50 which equals a 27% savings or an average price of $2.77 for each marker.

Tip: If you already have some markers or are looking for a more convenient storage solution for the individual collections of markers try using our new Clear mount stamp cases ( # 119105 page 192). For $4.95 you get a total of 4 cases and each one will hold 10+ markers, blender pens, etc. These cases are also great for storing stencils, rub-ons, die cuts, punch pieces and more. And being mostly clear its easy to see what you have in them.

Slimmer than the previous case, it fits on a craft desk/table much more easily making it’s use more practical. With 19 new colors – many never before available in pastel form - you’ll have an almost half brand new set of pastels and you’ll still have the old case to store the retired colors in.

No real money savings on this kit except that it saves you the cost of an otherwise full new set of pastels. Basically you are paying about half the cost of the full kit plus about $2 for the new case. A reasonable deal since it saves you $10 you’d otherwise have to spend to get these very cool new colors.

This is a great way to expand your current set of WaterColor Wonder Crayon collection. Once again you get not only 17 new colors – many never seen in this format before – but you also get 4 new tins with all new color inserts. If you already have the complete set of Crayons this is the way to go to upgrade. If you are somewhere in between that’s a bit more difficult as you will end up with some duplicates as you fill in or purchase all new collections. On the other hand if you are going to have duplicates these are the colors to have!